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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28641687">To Ride Out the Storm</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/StealtheRest/pseuds/StealtheRest'>StealtheRest</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The West Wing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anxiety, Established Relationship, F/M, Gaza, Panic Attacks, Post Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:41:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,241</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28641687</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/StealtheRest/pseuds/StealtheRest</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Donna has a panic attack at work. Josh can relate.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Josh Lyman/Donna Moss</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>75</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>To Ride Out the Storm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>There isn't really a plot to this besides just a moment during an otherwise regular work day for Josh and Donna. </p><p>*The symptoms that Donna exhibits during her panic attack are 100% the symptoms that I have when I get panic attacks*</p><p>Set early on in the first year of the Santos Administration.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She isn’t exactly sure what triggered it this time, but she knows it’s coming. Her chest tightens and she can feel her heart start to beat rapidly. The world around her brightens, everything becoming slightly too vivid.</p><p>If this happened a year or two ago, she would have panicked even more but, unfortunately, she’s become so accustomed to these attacks that she’s particularly talented at hiding them.</p><p>Sure, the medication she takes helps. She’s triggered less often and able to talk about the explosion without immediately hyperventilating, but she still gets the attacks.  </p><p>She gently rubs at her pants, feeling the soft fabric and its seams, attempting to ground herself. </p><p>Helen and the rest of the first lady’s staff finishes up their meeting.</p><p>She sees herself from an outsiders perspective. Another side effect of panic attacks that she is so unfortunately used to. </p><p>She can see herself plastering on a smile and walking to close her door. Another senior staff meeting finished in the East Wing. She doesn’t remember the last ten minutes of the conversation. </p><p>She shakily picks up her phone and dials.</p><p> “Josh?”</p><p>“Donna,” he states with a little intensity, he still hasn’t forgotten the last time she called his cell phone during work. </p><p>Donna almost never calls him work. She doesn’t want to make herself his priority, no matter his objections to this statement, during his hours he spends in the office. If she needs to talk to him she just walks over to the West Wing, or call his office (which annoys Josh to no end, “you don’t need to make an appointment, Donna”).</p><p>“Can you come here?” Her voice is weak and so un-Donna-like that Josh can feel his heart somehow simultaneously drop and start racing. </p><p>He’s up and out of his office in an instant. </p><p>He passes by Donna’s assistant who looks like she’s going to say something but doesn’t have the chance before he’s at the door to Donna’s office, out of breath and desperate to see her. </p><p>“Hey.” Josh is leaning against the doorframe, trying to catch is breath.</p><p>Her office empty of any colleagues, and with the comfort of Josh standing in her doorway, looking crumpled and looking lovingly at her, her resolve finally cracks. </p><p>Donna tries to stand up, but winds up grabbing on to her desk, falling to the group with a whimper.</p><p>Josh is over to her in an instant. He wraps his arms around her, tucking her into his side, his back against her desk. </p><p>He’s learned from her previous panic attacks that she only sometimes likes being touched, and when she does, she likes to be held tight.</p><p>Josh lifts Donna somewhat into his lap and rocks slightly as Donna continues hyperventilating.</p><p>“You’re okay. You’re okay. I know it feels bad but you’re okay,” Josh softly repeats these words as his one of his hands threads through her hair. </p><p>“You’re safe with me. I love you. I love you. I love you.” </p><p>She’s had panic attacks before, but never at work. Josh, however, isn’t unfamiliar with panicking while on the job. They make quite the pair. </p><p>Josh can feel her hear racing as he tightens his grip on her. He looks up, trying to maintain his own composure from seeing her like this. It’s not the first time she’s had a panic attack since they’ve been together, but that doesn’t mean that watching Donna on the ground, hyperventilating, and somewhat limp in his tight embrace doesn’t make his heart crack. </p><p>Donna’s breathing starts to come back to normal and Josh can feel her rub her face against the crook of his neck. His hold on her loosens and she leans back from him, just a little. </p><p>“You okay?” He asks softly, wiping the tears from her face and gently kissing her forehead. </p><p>“Yeah,” she breaths. “I’m sorry to call you away from your office-“</p><p>“Donna, stop it,” Josh says gently, but firm. “Don’t you ever apologize for needing me. Never. Okay?” She nods her head and he gently kisses her </p><p>She’s tired now. She always is after a panic attack, and Josh knows this. </p><p>“Why don’t you go home? The day’s almost over.”</p><p>“Josh, I can’t. I’m fine.” She stands up and straightens out her skirt. </p><p>He’s looking at her like he wants to say something, but she just had a panic attack in the middle of the day on the ground, in his arms and he doesn’t have it in him to make her feel even just the tiniest bit more tense by arguing with her to try to convince her to go home (which she won’t anyway). </p><p>“Josh, really. I’m okay. This has happened before, to both of us. We get through the day.”</p><p>“Yeah,” he breathes. </p><p>“At least try to come home early?” He’s bordering on pleading. </p><p>She laughs, “yeah are you going to be home early?” </p><p>“Yes.” </p><p>“Josh-“</p><p>“I’m going to come home as early as I can and we’re going to have Chinese food take-out and watch the news, okay?” </p><p>She rolls her eyes, knowing he only has so much control as to when he can go home for the day. Matt Santos insists that his staff have some semblance of a life, but even the president himself only has so much control over the events of the world. </p><p>---------------------------------------------------------</p><p>The rest of the day for Donna is thankfully quiet. She’s mentally and physically exhausted and happy to wrap up her work and get home at a reasonable hour. </p><p>Josh walks in about two hours after Donna, carrying Chinese food and the rest of his work that he decided to finish at home instead of in the office. </p><p>He finds Donna curled up in the corner of their couch, with a blanket loosely hanging over her. She’s slightly dozing off as the news plays in the background. </p><p>He walks up to her and tucks the blanket more securely around her sides, then brushes her hair gently from her face. </p><p>“Hey,” Donna says sleepily”</p><p>“Sorry to wake you,” Josh says with a gentle kiss on her forehead. </p><p>“I’m glad you did, I’m starving.” </p><p>---------------------------------------------------------</p><p>They eat dinner on the couch, Josh’s arm wrapped loosely around Donna’s shoulders. </p><p>“Do you want to talk about it,” Josh asked, slowly approaching the subject.</p><p>“I don’t know,” Donna says, sighing. “I don’t know what happened or what triggered it but I feel so weak-“</p><p>“Stop,” he says firmly.</p><p>“You, Donna Moss, are not weak. You were in an explosion, the only survivor of the explosion. You almost died Donna.” Josh gulps, Donna’s close call with death will never become easier for him to talk about, or more precisely, think about. </p><p>“You’re so strong Donna.”</p><p>She ducks her head, not quite making eye contact with him.</p><p>“Hey, at least you didn’t yell at the president in the middle of the Oval Office.”</p><p>“Josh,” she said with a sigh, lightly hitting his arm. </p><p>She looks up at him, rubbing his face lightly, feeling the slight stubble that always appears by the end of the day. </p><p>“I love you, Josh.”</p><p>“I love you, Donna” </p><p>He laid them both down on the couch, pulling the blanket with him. Donna nestled into the crook of his neck and Josh lightly rubbed her arm. </p><p>As Donna started to doze off in his arms, he looks down at her face smiling. </p><p>He thinks back to all those years ago. </p><p>Stanley was right.</p><p>We do get better.</p>
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